No Caps: Emergency Access to Phone Service is Critical for All

Rep Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) sent a letter to Federal Communications Committee Chairman Julius Genachowski requesting that access to Lifeline and Link-Up be protected for all Americans regardless of income.

Rep Kucinich urged the FCC not to make ‘any reduction in, or impose any limitations on’ the programs that provide vulnerable citizens access to phone services in emergency situations. “This is a matter of great personal interest to me. When I was growing up, my family moved 21 times and, on occasion, we lived in our car. There were times when we needed telephone service, but did not have it. I know personally how important it is to have access to a telephone, and what the results are when a family does not have it. I don't want any family to be in that situation,” wrote Rep Kucinich. “The Lifeline and Link-Up programs were supposed to prevent that situation from occurring.” Implemented in 1984, the programs have over the past few years, due to the economic crisis, seen an increase in demand and enrollees. As a result, the cost of the program has increased. “This is not a bad result – it is a good result. More people who need the benefits of the program are taking advantage of them. And the entire cost of the programs is paid by fees charged to the companies that provide wireless service,” wrote Rep Kucinich